The Dakar, a land of adventure, is also the perfect place for those who want to set themselves technical challenges. Throughout the history of the rally, many a daredevil has tackled the dunes of Africa and South America in a car which would have felt more at home in an urban environment. A few wacky attempts in a Renault 5 or Citroën AX in the 1980s, as well as several Citroëns 2CV or a Fiat Panda in the 2000s, all came to nothing! Upon seeing him with his Smart on the start line in Lima, one could be forgiven for thinking José Luis Álvarez is yet another dreamer, but the former quad pilot is not really planning to cross the Atacama Desert in the exact same city car which has taken the European capitals by storm. "I built this buggy by fitting the bodywork of a Smart prototype onto an XP 900 Polaris." Álvarez already showed his trailblazing mettle when he became the first Spanish quad pilot to finish the Dakar several years ago. He could very well be a pioneer again in his ninth Dakar start!

Jose Luis Alvarez (known as J.L.) is known for having already tried the Dakar on very unique vehicles. He also was the first spaniard to complete a Dakar on a quad.
He races without any assistance or team.

"I built this buggy by fitting the bodywork of a Smart prototype onto an XP 900 Polaris."!

Looking at the footage and photos though it looks to be a very stock XP900 under the Smart car clothes, be keen to see what mods have been done to make it last a Dakar, cause a stock XP will have a low chance of lasting

I spent a day riding with Kellon a few months ago, long before the announcement and he already had the time off for the race.

My hope for Robby is that running a simple solo team, presumably having made some agreement with the ASO in advance (because the way he was treated last year was pretty bad), will allow him to focus on driving. It's clear he has the pace, I think Kellon will do a great job navigating, and what's left is to put it all together.

I'll be cheering for the American Rebel!

__________________Doubletake Mirrors- Folding D/S mirror that is both useful and indestructible.